Kane shares story about Vince McMahon pitching Isaac Yankem character

Kane could have had a much different career if he did not get another chance and become the character that has been beloved by fans for more than two decades.

That character is the demonic brother of the Undertaker that he has been portraying since 1997. Before then, Glenn Jacobs played the character of Isaac Yankem, an evil wrestling dentist.

Kane reflected on WWE Chairman Vince McMahon pitching this interesting character to him while speaking with WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin on the Steve Austin Show. It all started during a meeting once the WWE boss pitched the idea.

This was a character that only lasted just over a year starting in 1995 with most people thinking that it peaked when competing at the SummerSlam 1995 with a match against Bret Hart.

“You hear all this stuff about Vince, like he’s an ‘evil genius’ and he’s going to get in your mind and figure out what you’re thinking,” said Kane. “He asks me, ‘You ever been afraid to go to the dentist?’ I’m thinking, ‘Is this is a personality test?’ I’m like, ‘No sir.’ He says, ‘I’ve always had this idea for a wrestling dentist. Isaac Yankem. I. Yankem. Then he starts doing the Vince laugh. I’m looking at him blank faced. Then he looks at me like, ‘I think you’d be great for it.’ Then he walks out. I’m sitting there and I went from being on top of the world to feeling like the world has fallen on top of me. ‘A wrestling dentist?'”

Kane continued, “I get home and talk to Jim Cornette. He said, ‘It’ll be fine. That’s just (Vince’s) first thought. They’ll come up with something cool.’ Two months later, I talk to Cornette and he says, ‘The good news is, you’re coming up soon. The bad news is, you’re going to be a dentist.’ I had to put paint on my teeth to make them look decayed. Everyone has this cool music. I got a dentist drill.”